Great Operatic Arias: Thomas Allen Vol 2

Great Operatic Arias: Thomas Allen Vol 2 cover $27.00 Out of Stock
2-6 weeks
add to cart

SIR THOMAS ALLEN
Great Operatic Arias: Thomas Allen Vol 2
Sir Thomas Allen (baritone) / Philharmonia Orchestra / David Parry (with Susan Gritton soprano)

[ Chandos / CD ]

Release Date: Saturday 1 March 2008

This item is currently out of stock. We expect to be able to supply it to you within 2 - 6 weeks from when you place your order.

"The careful husbanding of his vocal resources, and choice of repertoire, over his career means he can take on a recording such as this without fear for his reputation. Darker tone of course, but, unlike many others there is no sign of vocal spread or thinness."
(MusicWeb April 2008)

Over a long and still flourishing career Sir Thomas Allen has given benchmark performances in several operatic roles of which Mozart and Verdi operas figure strongly. With two spicy exceptions, every item in this programme comes from an opera by Mozart or Verdi. Part of the design of this recital series is to highlight the particular type of voice and explore its repertoire. The works chosen for this disc provide a unique showcase of Sir Thomas Allen's unique gifts and that of the baritone in general. The Sunday Telegraph wrote of volume one, 'How good to have this anthology of Thomas Allen's versatility in a wide range of his operatic roles… anyone who cherishes good singing will rejoice in this great baritone's smooth legato, perfect diction, subtle characterisation and, of course, beautiful and unmistakable voice,' and The Guardian noted 'As always, Allen was a supremely intelligent recitalist, matching sound with sense, probing the meaning of a text without fracturing the vocal line'.

As in previous issues, the solos are interspersed with longer excerpts, duets and ensembles, including performances with Susan Gritton and Claire Rutter. With Ford's monologue in Falstaff, Sir Thomas extends his lyrical voice to encompass the more theatrical style of late Verdi and in the lighter Weill 'September Song', he extends it further, albeit in a different direction altogether. Other repertoire includes an aria from Meyerbeer's Dinorah, recitatives and arias from Verdi's Macbeth and La Traviata, arias from Mozart's Marriage of Figaro and Don Giovanni, and duets from The Magic Flute.

Tracks:

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)
1 Papagenos Aria (Der Vogelfänger bin ich ja) from The Magic Flute 2:52
'I'm sure that there could never be'
2 Figaro's Aria (Non più andrai) from The Marriage of Figaro 3:51
'Here's an end to your life as a rover'

Giuseppe Verdi (1813-1901)
3 Ford's Monologue (È sogno? O realtà…) from Falstaff 4:37
'I'm dreaming? Or is this true?'
4 Don Carlos' and Rodrigo's Duet (Dio, che nell'alma infondere) from Don Carlos 5:41
'Listen!' - 'God who has brought us together'
with Gwyn Hughes Jones tenor
Philip Tebb bass
Geoffrey Mitchell Choir
5 Macbeth's Scena and Aria (Perfidi! - Pietà, rispetto) from Macbeth 5:16
'Treachery!' - 'When you are old and full of tears'

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
6 Leporello's Catalogue Aria (Madamina) from Don Giovanni 5:38
'Little lady! Here's a list I've assembled'
7 Figaro's Recitative and Cavatina (Se vuol ballare) from The Marriage of Figaro 3:30
'Bravo, my lord and master' -
'So little master, you're dressed to go dancing'

Giuseppe Verdi
8 Recitative and Duet (Pura siccome un angelo) from La traviata (The Fallen Woman) 18:56
'You are Violetta Valéry?' -
'I have a daughter sent from God'
with Claire Rutter soprano

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
9 Pamina and Papageno's Duet (Bei Männern, welche Liebe fühlen) from The Magic Flute 3:12
'A man in search of truth and beauty'
with Susan Gritton soprano
10 Don Giovanni's Aria (Finch' han dal vino) from Don Giovanni 1:29
'Now that the wine has stopped them from thinking'
11 Don Giovanni's Canzonetta (Deh, vieni all finestra) from Don Giovanni 2:20
'Come softly to your window'

Giuseppe Verdi
12 Prison Scene (Per me giunto è il dì supremo) from Don Carlos 12:13
'I'm here, Carlos!' -
'My last day has dawned for ever'
with Gwyn Hughes Jones tenor

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
13 Papagena and Papageno's Duet from The Magic Flute 2:38
'Pa-pa-ge-na'
with Susan Gritton soprano

Kurt Weill (1900-1950)
14 September Song from Knickerbocker Holiday 4:04